O2 to carry the iPhone in the UK

O2 will carry the iPhone in the UK, with unlimited data plans and access to the wifi hotspots of The Cloud. Clever, except... they're not present in France, ah!

Methink that within six months of presence in Europe, Apple will have to go away with those exclusive deals, and adapt to the diverse network operators. It's both too complicated for them in a fragmented market and completely unappealing for consumers. Reminder: it's against the law in France to lock a device to an operator for more than six months.

Somehow my resistance to the urge of buying one when it comes in France is slowly building up into considering the iPod touch and waiting for the 3G version of the iPhone.